THE NINETEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 125 



" Now, I liokl that no shipper has the right to expect full prices, or fair 

 prices even, for such stock. The remark 'fit to feed to hogs' reminds me 

 of another incident. A gentleman came from Pontiac, 111., to inquire about 

 a shipment of ten barrels of apples. He looked wise, made his inquiries, 

 and said that they were good stock, but on being questioned somewhat 

 closely by me, ( as I expressed some surprise that apples should be shipped 

 from that point here, Chicago), he said it was a lot of apples taken from 

 an orchard into which a lot of hogs had been turned to eat them up ; but 

 he 'thought it was a pity that they should be allowed to eat them, conse- 

 quently, they had picked up some and sent them to Chicago' — to obtain 

 good figures of course. I remarked with considerable warmth that Chi- 

 cago did not feel complimented by having hog food sent in as first-class 

 friiif, and further remarked that we were fully aware of the general charac- 

 ter of the fruit, but did not suppose that he would rob the Jiogs and make 

 us the medium of selling the goods. , 



" Allow me to cite another instance, this bearing on the question of the 

 prices and the standard to be fixed. On Saturday, Nov. 30, 1889, a man 

 prominent among the fruitgrowers within the territory of 'west Michigan' 

 who has packed thousands of barrels of apples for this market, said in con- 

 versation with me in referring to a lot of apples which he had sent us, that 

 we had sold his seconds or culls for a matter of about $1 per barrel net 

 (which was a good price), but also made complaint on our sales because a 

 competitor on the street sold the same grade of stock for $1.88 per barrel 

 gross. Yet at the same time, that is, during the same period covered by 

 these sales, we had bought No. 1 stock of the same firm at $2.10 to $2.15 

 per barrel, our transactions covering some seven or eight hundred barrels. 

 Here was a difference of at most 37 cents per barrel between first-class 

 fruit, such as the best trade would use, and what he Jiimself characterized 

 while si^eaking of them, as being ' viost scand(dous' stock to pack for any 

 market. 



"I can not for one moment admit that truth, honesty, or even decency 

 would allow me to ask such a price for goods of the character mentioned 

 above, as would be anything like what was expected by the shipper in the 

 case mentioned. 



" I hold very emphatically that the shipper has no right to expect some- 

 thing for nothing, has no right to expect honest treatment from starvation 

 prices, any more than I would ask a man to work for me for nothing, and 

 board himself. I hold that the shipper has no right to expect his com- 

 mission merchant to sell inferior and worthless trash at prices anywhere 

 near the prices of good, honest-packed fruit. I hold that the shipper has 

 no rigid to expect us to swindle our customers here, and thereby ruin our 

 trade, for the benefit of a man who would put up such fruit in the manner 

 described above. I hold that we are occupying a position between tiro 

 men whom ice are to consider as lionest, and the dollar of ttie purcliaser 

 is worth $1 ivortJi of fruit as represented; that no standard shall be set up 

 because a man chooses to swindle his purchaser here, that shall brand 

 some one else as a thief or careless because he does not come up to the 

 standard in prices. I hold — well, a great many other things that might be 

 mentioned, that come up as illustrating this point, but this is all that is 

 necessary for me to say on the question. Fair, square, honest treatmenty 

 is what should be expected from all hands." 



